US Secretary of War faces scrutiny over alleged kill order

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has pledged to examine an alleged incident in which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered military units to target a suspected drug‑trafficking boat in the Caribbean. According to a Washington Post report, Hegseth instructed that “kill everybody” on the vessel, which was destroyed on September 2, killing all 11 people aboard. The episode occurred within Operation Southern Spear, a U.S. campaign aimed at combating “narcoterrorists” in the region. As part of the operation, more than a dozen warships and 15,000 military personnel have been positioned off the coast of Venezuela.

President Donald Trump has refused to rule out further military action against Venezuela, despite Caracas’s consistent denial of any involvement with drug traffickers. In response to the allegations, Hegseth posted on social media that the reporting was “fabricated” and “inflammatory,” yet he did not outright deny the claims. He affirmed that the strikes were “specifically intended to be lethal, kinetic strikes” and that every trafficker targeted was linked to a designated terrorist organization.

Since the September 2 incident, the U.S. military has reportedly attacked at least 22 additional vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing another 71 alleged drug smugglers. The Senate Armed Services Committee announced that it will pursue bipartisan action to obtain a full accounting of the operation. Chairman Republican Senator Roger Wicker said the committee takes the reports “seriously” and will work to gather more information.

Venezuelan officials have condemned Trump’s recent declaration that the airspace above and around Venezuela is closed, labeling it a “colonialist threat.” The statement was made on the president’s social media platform amid escalating tensions between the two countries. Lawmakers’ concern over the incident is expected to drive further scrutiny, shedding light on U.S. military activities in the region and the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack.